This coming Sunday, I’ll be making the drive from Northern California, where I live, to Southern California, where I’ll spend the week guest-hosting his radio show for my old friend and comrade, the ineffable Hugh Hewitt. Query: Should I take Route 101 or Interstate 5? The trade-off, I’ve been told, is that whereas taking I-5 would save time, reducing the trip from six-and-a-half to five-and-a-half hours, taking Route 101 (which is invariably known as “the 101,” although where the definite article comes from I cannot say) would permit me to enjoy the considerable beauties of the Salinas Valley and then of the central coast. Is this true? Which would the Californian readers of this happy corner recommend?